One More: The Philosopher's Stone :: HIATUS
by Perfect Fallacy
Summary: What if, instead of petrifying Neville Longbottom on that fateful night, they took him with them? What consequences and what changes would this bring? First part. Could be seen as a standalone too.


_Harry turned to Hermione._

 _"Do something," he said desperately._

 _Hermione stepped forward._

 _"Neville," she said, "I'm really, really sorry about this."_

 _She raised her wand._

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

* * *

However, her hand rose and grabbed the other boy's arm. She obviously wanted to prevent him from leaving, as she shook her head. She couldn't bear to curse poor Neville Longbottom.

''You're coming with us then.'' she said. ''And I won't hesitate to curse you and leave you in the hallway if you get us caught.''

The boy's eyes widened, but Harry felt the impatience get to him. They didn't have the time to sit here and debate! So from his pocket, he pulled out a fabric that seemed to vanish. It was his Invisibility Cloak, inherited from his father.

''Blimey, Hermoine, you sure?'' said Ron. His face seemed a little awed, but also a bit insecure.

''Yes, Neville's better in Herbology then me, so he'll be able to help with Sprout's contribution.'' she said. Her tone was brisk, as if it pained her to admit such a thing.

Neville however, appeared to be pale. If anything, this wasn't what he was expecting, Harry suspected. It was already a bit difficult with two, nevermind three people under the cloak, but they would manage. He extended it over them, and then they were hidden from view, Hermoine's wand put away once more. But as they took more time then he liked, he couldn't help but feel as if they should go slow.

The thick tension in the air was heavy. In their nervous state, they couldn't help but be jumpy. Every breath of wind was a ghost that found them, or every echo of sound was Flich coming for them. When they reached the staircase up to the third floor, they had found the carpet loosened. No doubt Peeves had been by - and hopefully no more for the rest of the night.

A few mere moments later, they were at the fateful door. However, they had noticed it ajar. Open and free for any wandering soul to enter. And Snape was probably already on his way to the stone. Harry could only hope that they were not too late. He knew that this was going to be something difficult, and he turned to his two best friends, and the one person that got dragged into it.

''I won't blame you if you turn back now.'' he said. ''You can take the cloak I won't need it now. And take Neville with you, it isn't fair he gets dragged into this.''

''Don't be stupid.'' said Ron.

''We're all going with you.'' said Hermoine.

Neville didn't say anything, but his own face seemed to echo the same determination as the other two. Despite the fact that the chubby boy didn't know why the three were so determined, that was obvious, Harry wondered if their own grim focus had imparted on him. He knew the other boy was no coward. It took a lot of strength to stand up to someone that bullied, but even more to do so to the people you call friends. And seeing that even Neville noticed how serious they are touched Harry.

So he nodded, and they pushed the door open further.

The growling, snapping noises of the Cerebus were the first thing they heard. Hurriedly, Harry put the flute to his lips, as the heads had swung towards the door. He couldn't really play a tune, but from the first few moments the notes came from the flute, the beast seemed to calm down, and eventually fall asleep.

''What's that at it's feet?'' whispered Hermoine.

''Looks like a harp.'' said Ron. It seemed like he wanted to add more, but he looked at Neville and stopped.

It didn't have to be said that since it had stopped playing, the beast had woken up immediately. So as the heavy snores continued, Ron ventured out of the cloak. ''Keep playing.'' he warned, even as he headed towards the trap door. As he found it, he waved them over, the other three slipping out from the Cloak. Of course, Neville seemed very frightened and nervous, as he probably had less of an idea why he was here then the other three.

Ron pulled the ring of the trap door, and it slowly opened. Underneath it, there was a long, dark hole. The bottom couldn't even be seen, although they looked. It looked like a sheer drop, as there was no way to climb down, from Ron's shrug and head shake.

''Want to go first Hermoine?'' the red head said.

''What, no I don't!'' she hissed, sounding nervous and offended.

Harry however, knew they had to hurry. They had wasted enough time. Making motions to himself, he then shrugged towards the hole. It took a moment, but Ron's face seemed to clear, and then instantly darken.

''You want to go first? Are you sure?'' he asked, even as Harry nodded.

Hermoine was already by his side, even as the flute was traded in between them. In the few seconds of silence, Fluffy seemed to twitch and stir. But Hermoine's continued playing easily put it back to sleep. That was welcomed with a sigh of relief, even though Neville finally approached the three.

''If something happens to me, go straight to the owlery and get a note to Dumbledore by Hedwig. Don't follow me alright?'' Harry said, hanging by his fingertips in the hole. Both boys nodded, and then he let go, letting himself fall.

For a single terrifying moment, he wondered if he would die.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I'm finally here. This is for vanilla212's challenge! I've been thinking on it for sometime, as I already had a relative plan for how this could spin off in my head. It took me some time to write it due to IRL issues - but no worries! I've finally found what to name the series, and how I want it to start off with, so here we go. Read and review if you'd like, but I do ask please stay constructive! I'll always take improvement suggestions, as long as they are sensible. I do realize that people might not have the same tastes as me, and that's fine - I respect yours, so please respect mine. But I'm definitely eager to hear how you guys take this!

 **Disclaimer:** Harry Potter does not belong to me. It belongs to JK Rowling, Warner Bros, so on and so forth. Please support the official release!


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